Skoda Kushaq has entered series production at the brand's facility in Chakan in India. The first unit of the upcoming SUV was rolled off the production line at the Pune plant, under the India 2.0 Project. Skoda Kushaq deliveries in the Indian market will start from July 2021 onwards. It is based on the MQB-A0-IN architecture which is derived from the modular MQB -A0 platform specially for the Indian and global markets. The SUV will come with a couple of TSI petrol engines which have been manufactured locally in the country.
The name 'Kushaq' has been extracted from the thousands of years old Sanskrit language in India. In the ‘language of the gods’ still used today, the word ‘Kushak’ means a king or an emperor. The SUV will come with mySKODA Connect & SKODA Play App as standard. The locally developed MQB-A0-IN platform will further spawn multiple new models in future as it meets the new safety and emission norms in India. The company has set up a new MQB- A0-IN production line at its Pune facility to achieve the desired localisation levels of upto 95 percent. In fact, a significant part of the development has been carried out at the new technology centre, which opened in Pune in January 2019.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director, ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd, said, “The production roll out of the first car under the India 2.0 project marks a historic milestone for ŠKODA AUTO and the Volkswagen Group in India. It stands testament to a great collaboration between our teams across the globe and here in India. We have managed to achieve localisation levels up to 95 per cent, which truly puts the engineering and manufacturing expertise of India on the global map. With ŠKODA KUSHAQ, we will be present in one of the fastest growing segments of the automotive industry. We look forward to offering customers an SUV that stands out for its emotive design, unmatched performance, superior build quality, outstanding safety, and numerous Simply Clever solutions, enabling an exemplary value proposition.”
Mr. Zac Hollis, Brand Director – ŠKODA AUTO India, said “With the start of production of the all new KUSHAQ, we are looking at a new chapter to mark the success story of ŠKODA AUTO in India. India’s preference for SUVs has continued to grow steadily over the years. The KUSHAQ will offer an unparalleled driving experience and brings together all the attributes that matter to an SUV buyer. The team is gearing up for the launch later this month. We have already increased our network reach substantially and have instituted several best practices towards ensuring customer delight. With KUSHAQ, we are looking forward to welcoming more customers into the ŠKODA family.”
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